Leaving LA

9th and 10th December

We ride out of Manhattan Beach on the cycle path along a strip of golden sand....



And then strangely through a multi-story car park....




And past Christmas Tree Lane with it's one mile plus of huge Christmas decorations....



And past the industrial heartland of Long Beach....



All interesting stuff, but we're going to....
DISNEYLAND!
Yes DISNEYLAND!!!
Disneyland is NOT for kids.
It's for big people who act like kids.
I've always wanted to go to Disneyland and I'm soooo excited I'm nearly sick.

And Uncle Walt and Mickey have even put up the Christmas decorations for us...



And you can go underwater on a submarine....



And on a space ride on Space Mountain rollercoaster, and to Critter Country and ride Splash Mountain and see 3D cinema using really cool looking shades...



And go to Adventure Land to see Indiana Jones and go to Toon Town....



And go to New Orleans and be a Pirate of the Caribbean.
And at night it's all lit up and there's fireworks and everything...



It's totally brill and I love it!

LA

December 7th and 8th

Having a tour guide in LA is great, especially when they provide the wheels as well... We hit the sights with Michael and friend Andrea for a couple of touristy days....



This the world famous Getty Centre with it's fabulous gardens, architecture, museums and galleries. You can spend days here. Built on the Santa Monica mountains it's a good place to start a city tour as it affords fantastic panoramic views of the city....



The art on display is incredible including pre 20th century European paintings, drawings, illuminated manuscripts, sculpture, and decorative arts plus 19th and 20th century American and European photographs....



But it's the outside environment that does it for me. The gardens and building itself are the real highlights....



And the city backdrop is magnificent....



We tour sunset strip, where driving slowly enough to take photos is a hanging offense. Michael risks it and we get honked each time the speedo drops below 40. Damn tourists! I get to see the Whiskey a go go where The Doors started up, still there after nearly 40 years. Plus the rich streets of Beverly Hills Bel Air.

The famous Hollywood sign. Not sure what Sue said - but she deserved this....



Cheers Maynes for the hospitality. Great catching up and here's to the next time when Team Miguelitos rides out....

To LA

December 5th and 6th

Santa Barbara is about 90 miles from LA, a one day push, or a more leisurely 2 day cruise. Given the company and scenery, what's the rush. Anyway Tim and Eddy tour in a more coffee shop and cake type way and that sounds like an outstanding plan. We're not sure what to expect from the next couple of days. Think Los Angeles; your next thought is seldom "hmmmm sounds cycle friendly". I'm a bit worried we might get munched in the sprawl and traffic....

Still, got some stunning beaches to admire for now and we'll worry about that later. After some great riding along the flats with Tim and Eddy, we hit Malibu! A sign helpfully informing us there are "27 miles miles of scenic beauty". I'm thinking "that sign should be in braille". If you can see the sign, there's a fair chance you might just have noticed already. It's gorgeous.

How very baywatch....



Imagine the views from the hillside palaces....



This is our lunch stop....



And dispelling all fears, this is the ride along the outskirts of LA, as busy highway 101 drops us directly on to a tarmac strip along mile after mile of golden sand. How very fine...



Finally we are on our approach to LA and I contact Mr Michael Maynes, a ciclista legend of gargantuan proportions, and sometime cycling partner from previous rides in Argentina and Chile. He agrees to meet us at the Santa Monica pier so we can stay with him at his home in Manhattan Beach.

Beers while we wait....



Then time to enjoy the fair on the pier....



And meet some other eccentric characters on tandems, plus Steve and Gary on a beautifully restored 1975 Schwinn and high rise cruiser....



Saying farewell to Tim and Eddy after 2 days of fantastic riding. Guys it was a lot of fun. Memorable!



Then the old crew is back together for brief ride into the LA sunset....

Santa Barbara

December 3rd to 5th

There are real contrasts moving down the Californian coast as you move out of the laid back, tree hugging, cannabis farming North to the La La land vortex of Ray Ban touting hollywood style posing... It's all getting very expensive. Camp site rates have soared from $3 per person to $5 and showers now cost 25c - it's all getting way too much. We enquire about rooms, but rates in Santa Barbera are in the $150 to $600+ range. We head back to the tent.

But Santa Barbera is just gorgeous.



The "American Riviera", coastline trends West to East, unique for the Californian coast. The palm tree lined town is backdropped by the beautiful Santa Ynez mountain range we just crossed, and enjoys it´s dream climate by a sea becalmed. The famous surfer dude beaches are further south where the coast resumes it´s more normal North South orientation where the waves pick up again.

Even the courthouse and former prison building here is stunning. Well, you can´t have the prisoners complaining can you....



You can take a free guided tour of the Spanish Colonial style building and see it´s facinating mural room, still a functioning courtroom. All four walls depict incredible historical scenes including Juan Cabrillo´s landing here in 1542 and the building of the famous Santa Barbara mission. There is a beautiful sunken quadrangle with gardens whilst the interior has Tunisian tiling and hanging lanterns in a Moorish style. It´s superb...



Hanging in the law library are ancient maps depicting California as an island some way off the coast of America.



Arriving back at the campsite we are warned we have outstayed our welcome and need to leave. Apparently there is a one night limit for tents to avoid vagrants moving in. We do manage to get a second night after persuading the gun toting ranger we only LOOK like bums, but it serves to highlight another side to Southern California.

Two other cyclists have moved in - Tim and Eddy from San Diego and we agree to leave together in the morning. Tonight a sunset... Tomorrow we ride in a pack....

Leaving Santa Ynez Valley

December 3rd

Santa Ynez valley is flat. But Santa Barbara is behind them there hills and the road suddenly starts to rise steeply.....



We leave the main road and take a more cycle friendly route, an historic 19th century coach road passing through scenic woodland and passing beneath the main road up on that there bridge....



Once you´ve spent nearly 2 hours and 7 miles climbing 700 vertical metres (2300 feet) it´s hard to believe signs like this....



And this....



But then this happens....



And apparently the road IS closed. And the work men absolutely refused point blank to let us pass, despite being only 50 metres from rejoining the main highway. Something about building a bridge and real danger and blah blah blah.
These guys just don´t know what real danger is.
Real danger is having to explain to Sue that with 50m to go we need to turn round, drop 700 metres, rejoin the main road and then climb back up those 700m again.

Still, gives us a chance to get the view from the top of that bridge back on to that road we took 4 hours ago....



Not gonna tell you what Sue is saying in this picture. Ooooh naughty girl. Wash your mouth out with soap....

Californian Mysteries

November 30th to December 2nd

Leaving Hearst Castle, it's back to a more earthy reality as the landscape turns green. Artichoke and sprout farms lush and leafy as far as the eye can see. This is farming on an industrial scale. Mile after mile of irrigated ranks of dense produce.
I never met anyone who likes sprouts! Not even a little bit. They're just something to leave on the plate on Christmas day so you feel like you can fit in a larger piece of Christmas pud. Just what is going on here? Where do they all go? Do people really eat this many sprouts? It's a complete mystery. We ride on confused - somethings are just beyond explanation....



And next Guadalupe.
It's like a ghost town. We ride through deserted streets and see no one. It's like everyone just upped and left. There's a real Mexican feel to the place though. Buildings are multi-coloured, bright and vibrant, supermercados advertise in spanish. But where are the people?



We ride out confused.

And next Solvang.
How do you explain Solvang? With it's windmills, statues of Hans Cristian Andersen and little mermaid fountain copied from Copenhagen....



Originally founded by Danish settlers around the turn of the last century, it now looks like a place trying so hard to look like Denmark, it's actually become the most Danish place on earth! There are fantastic bakeries wafting enticing sweet fragrances into the air.... and extravagant wine merchants threatening to seriously damage our budget. We need to leave fast.

This is the Santa Ynez valley - a flat spot between the Santa Ynez and the San Rafael Mountain ranges and famous as grape country. We camp in a county park on the beauteous Lake Cachuma, actually a reservoir serving the Santa Barbera area....



And admire the Bradbury Dam holding all that water at bay....



And watch the sky turn pink....